Michael VII of Byzantium

Michael VII of Byzantium (1050-1090) was the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 1071 to 1078, succeeding Romanos IV of Byzantium and preceding Nikephoros III of Byzantium.

Biography
Michael was born in 1050, the son of Constantine X of Byzantium and Eudokia Makrembolitissa. In 1067, his father died, but he showed little interest in politics, so his mother and John Doukas ruled over him as regents. Eudokia remarried to Romanos Diogenes, and Romanos became "Romanos IV of Byzantium", succeeding Constantine. Michael succeeded Romanos after he was blinded in 1071 following his defeat at the battle of Manzikert at the hands of the Great Seljuk Empire's Sultan Alp Arslan, and Michael was crowned as emperor.

Like his predecessor Romanus, Michael had to constantly be aware of the threat posed by the Muslims. In 1076, the Seljuk sultan Malik Shah declared war on the Byzantines to conquer the Theme of Charsianon in eastern Turkey. He had to call on the Kingdom of Hungary, the Kingdom of Georgia, the Venetian Republic, and Cilicia to assist him, and in the end, he agreed to a white peace with the Muslims. He also faced threats from the Duchy of Apulia, with the Normans conquering Bari from the Byzantines in 1071, ending their rule over Italy.

Eventually, Michael's reign was put to an end by Nikephoros Botaneiates, a general of the Byzantine Empire who led an uprising and overthrew Michael. Michael faced rebellion towards the end of his reign shortly after he made peace with the Turks, as he decided to also make peace with the Byzantine revolt led by Nikephoros from Nicaea. Michael was imprisoned until his death in 1190, and Nikephoros was the Emperor of Byzantium after 1078.